Study of a Young Man (recto); Study of a Standing Man with a Beard (verso), accidental offset Gm-00020301

Andrea del Sarto (Italian, 1486–1530) The lightly drawn figure of a young man with one arm lifted toward the viewer fills this irregularly trimmed sheet. The boy wears a fashionable outfit including a blouse with wide sleeves gathered on either side of the elbow and decoratively slashed to show the lining underneath and a doublet or vest short enough to reveal his codpiece.

Concentrating on the pose and drapery of the figure, Andrea del Sarto merely suggested the head and facial features with a few lines. He changed his mind as he drew the right arm, fingers, and the positioning of the left shoulder, leaving visible pentimenti. This drawing served as a preparatory study for the figure of a young male servant standing in the center of a fresco in a Florentine church. The figure's pose and drapery were almost fully resolved in the drawing, with only a few minor adjustments made in the painting. The artist completed the fresco by May 30, 1523, thus scholars date the drawing to before then.